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He's an improving young man who has bulked up this season, but he still needs to learn some of the subtle arts of the front line. He has the pace and his strength is improving, but he must learn more craft and cunning.

An Arsenal DVD of Thierry Henry's best bits would help, displaying the variety in his game. Sometimes his blinding pace would kill teams, but he could then walk and allow the game to come to him.

Defenders did not know how he would play or what was coming next. With his movement and touch, there was cunning about his play.

Villa have made terrific progress. There is much to admire about Martin O'Neill's team, but they fell short yesterday.

And when Arsene Wenger sensed them tiring and, as they stopped pressing the ball as much, he sent on Fabregas to take advantage.

For an hour, Villa's high-intensity play troubled Arsenal. Emile Heskey, who is judged on goals but offers so much more, was dropping into the middle to add another body that closed down Arsenal's attacking routes.

Then the sting went out of their game, Heskey had run his race and so Wenger conjured a trump card. A match-winner.

Villa played with Agbonlahor alone up front - a most demanding role - and they didn't stretch the Arsenal defence often enough. They tired and a team of Arsenal's quality will punish you for that, although the final scoreline was brutal.

Compare Villa yesterday to when Manchester United went to play counter-attacking football at the Emirates in the Champions League last season. United won 3-0.

It's not an unfair comparison, because that's where Villa aspire to be. If they want to play counter-attacking football, they need more punishment at the sharp end.

Match sharp: Stewart Downing was sidelined for a number of months

There is enough quality in their team; I like the way Stewart Downing and Ashley Young swap sides and change Villa's shape.

When Downing is on the right and Young switches to the left, they narrow and are more compact. Downing still looks as if he is recovering his match fitness, so there is more to come from him.

James Milner has been excellent, as has Richard Dunne, and I've always liked Stephen Warnock.

They're progressing and, like all O'Neill teams, they can win without playing well - a bit like Jose Mourinho's style at Porto and Chelsea...and it didn't do them too much harm, did it?

Suspended: Ashley Young will miss Aston Villa's next game against Liverpool

Now we'll see how Villa respond. Losing at Arsenal is not the end of the world after an impressive run of victories in December, but it will have taken a lot out of them physically.

Liverpool go to Villa Park tomorrow and they have had an extra day resting.

Villa will have to make do without Ashley Young, too, after he was harshly booked yesterday.

I'd still like to see them acquire another striker, one who can improve on the goal output of Heskey and John Carew, one who can lend a hand to Agbonlahor.

Times are looking up and there is a Carling Cup semi-final to come, but they're not ready to muscle into the Champions League yet. They need more match-winners first.